THE

BERWICK MUSEUM,

OR,

MONTHLY

LITERARY INTELLIGENCER.

BEING A VIEW OF THE

HISTORY, POLITICS, AND LITERATURE OF THE TIMES:

NEW PUBLICATIONS FOR FEBRUARY

SOLD BY W. PHORSON.

PLAYS written for a Private Hawkin's Hiftory of the Turkish

Willan's Hiftory of the Ministry The Difinterested Nabob, a novel,

THE

BERWICK MUSEUM;

OR,

MONTHLY LITERARY INTELLIGENCER.

FOR FEBRUARY 1787.

A Short Review of the Political State of Great Britain, at the. Commencement of the Year, 1787.

56
fefs at the prefent moment. The
lofs of thirteen colonies, of both
the Floridas, of part of our West
India Iflands, and of Minorca-The
furrender of whole armies-the
ignominious flight of English fleets
before thofe of France and Spain
-the expenditure of a hundred
and thirty millions of pounds-the
abyfs of ruin into which a long
train of unfortunate councils has
plunged the empire-the accumu
lation of taxes, under which every
Order of the community is op.
Preffed and overwhelmed and the
degree of political infignificance,
into which a country is fallen, who
once difpenfed her largeffes and
her fubfidies to half the princes of
Europe. Thefe misfortunes, mul-
tiplied, and almost unparallelled as
they are, yet have not deprived
his Majesty of the affections of his
people. His popularity, which,
during the first years of his reign,
and in all the funfhine of youth,
and internal profperity, and ex.
ternal fuccefs, could not fuftain
itself against an obfcure periodical
paper, written by a private gen
tleman; has yet, to the admira
tion of mankind, furvived this
mighty wreck, and even renewed
itfelf amicft the convulfions and
decadence of the British empire.
Many circumstances, curious to in-
veftigate, have conduced and com
bined to this extraordinary event.
Had George the Third, like
Charles the Second, or William
the Third, remained chillefs on
the Throne; and had her Majefty,
like Catherine or Mary, been only
the partner of a barren bed; it is
to be apprehended, that during
the rage of faction, and the dif-
graces of a civil and foreign war,
with which England was fhaken
for fo many years, the diadem
rudely affailed, might perhaps have
been torn from the royal brow,
At that awful and memorable æra,

Review of the Politics of Great Britain.

when, in June, 1780, London bla❤ zed through all her flrects, when, in the fublime language of 1 acitus," Urbs, incendiis vaftata, confumptis antiquiffimis delubris, ipfo capitolio civium manibus incenfo, Odio et terrore corrupti in dominos fervi, in patronos, liberti."-When the empire, convulfed and agonizing, feemed to await her final doom from the parricide hands of her own children, the monarch might have been involved in the general ruin. But the numerous family of the Sovereign; his private virtues, and domeltic character, drew a veil, even in the opinion of his enemies, across the errors of his Government and Adminiftration. The father, and the husband, pro tected and sheltered the Prince; born in happier times, and in a milder age, than his unhappy predeceffor, Charles the Firft, whom fimilar virtues and qualities could not fecure from the fcaffold and the block! To this primary and fundamental bafis of his popularity, are added feveral inferior and neceffary fupports. The character, and the conduct of his eldeft fon, the Prince of Wales; to the first of which the nation does not look with fanguine hope, or exultation, and to the latter of which, it has expreffed its marked difapproba tion in many inftances, have unqueftionably conduced to interest the English people in favour of their Sovereign.

The formation and existence of that political monfter, "The Coa. lition," at whofe fatal birth were offered up as victims every appearance of public virtue or prin ciple, and whofe wild career foon plunged its author into ruin, may likewife be regarded as another auxiliary fupport to the perfonal popularity of the Monarch, The recollection of that vigorous, but

Review of the Politics of Great Britain.

injudicious and arbitrary measure which clofed the thort reign of "The Coalition," has operated, and will yet long continue to ope rate on the minds of every clafs of men; from those who furround the throne, to those who are moft remote from its influence or its benefits. The rapacious invafion and feizure of private property, fo repugnant to the genius of the English government, and which formed the leading feature of that projected act of ftate, fpread a terror through the island, which three years have not yet obli terated; and which all the efforts of genius, employed in its defence, have never yet been able to justify, or reconcile to the far greater part of the nation,

An adventitious and recent event, deriving its principal force and effect, rather from its name, than its actual existence ; yet, by alarm ing the minds of every clafs of people for the fafety of the Sove reign, has added new folidity to his throne, and diffused an unexampled popularity around his perfon. I need not fay that I allude to the attempt, if indeed, that which rather exifted in intention than in act, can be properly deno minated an attempt upon the life of his Majesty. No circumftances of fanaticism, rebellion, or attrocity, accompanied this act, or gave it birth. It neither refembled the attempts made against Elifabeth, or against William the Third. In fanity alone armed the hand of a wretched female maniac, who was difarmed and feized with the ut moft facility, as foon as her defign began to manifeft itself. The nation did not, however, meafure its exultation, or mark its general joy, by any exact proportion to the actual danger from which their Sovereign hadefcaped. Henry

57

the Fourth, who was born for the delight of the human race, had he efcaped from the dagger of Ravilliac, could not have received more univerfal, more flattering, or more cordial teftimonies of the attachment of his people, than were laid at the feet of George the Third in eager profufion.Addreffes are not, indeed, always to be regarded as the indifputable tefts of the real fentiments or adherence of the English people; nor have any of our most beloved Princes received more numerous, or more adulatory ones, than did James the Second and Richard Cromwell. But, in this inftance, the general joy naturally arifing in every loyal breaft, from the danger with which their Sove. reign had been menaced, was perhaps augmented in its effect, by an obvious and unavoidable re flection on the character of the Prince who must have fucceded to the vacant throne.

This confideration obliterated at once the recollection of the

faded glories of the English name ; the remembrance of that unhappy war, which emancipated America, restored the proftrate genius of France, and rendered back to Spain the proudest trophies of more triumphant reigns. All these calamities were buried in the fenti. ments and expreflions of exulta tion and pleasure, refulting from the recent efcape of the King from the knife of an aff.ffin.

To fo extraordinary and im probable a point of popularity has George the Third been elevated by a combination of circumstances after a reign of fix and twenty years; the firft portion of which contains no event worthy the commemoration of hiftory, except a peace unquestionably inferior to the juft expectations of a victo